A Systematic Methodological Routine for Analyzing Numerical Analysis Results: Tools for Parametric Design Routines of Floating Structures

Modern design processes of offshore and floating structures involve an increasingly large number of numeric analysis routines. While computerized design tools solve the mathematical model of the physical system efficiently, they offer limited post-processing and comparative tools for their outputs. In many cases, designers visually inspect the effects of correlating parameters on the structure. The process of reviewing the results, and drawing conclusions from them, is still a major bottleneck in floating structures design. Our work offers a systematic methodology, based on statistical guidelines, adapted for the design of floating structures. The methodology includes the following steps: (a) an agile and flexible wrangling and preprocessing scheme for the computerized analyses outputs; (b) a guide for choosing the correct visualization tools for the preliminary inspection of the results; (c) a set of “red flags” and trend detection tools for enhanced post-processing analysis; (d) a toolbox of analytic procedures for the comparative analysis of the results; (e) guidelines for avoiding common pitfalls and biases in the process of eliminating designs and choosing the correct parameters for later stages; and (f) an overview of reporting standards that enhance quality assurance and replicability. We demonstrate the routine by applying it on a boundary element routine of a new concept of VLFS. Our work shows how the use of correct visualization tools vastly reduces the number of exploratory analysis stages, and how using aparametric statistical methods can help researchers validate in a quantitative manner trends and discrepancies found in their analyses.